Maverick Hunter X

Mega Man has lingered in the minds of gamers for years. The young, robotic hero has saved the galaxy time and time again through titles spanning the GBA, NES, SNES, GameCube and PS2. And he's showing no signs of slowing down. On the contrary, a few compilations have recently shipped (Mega Man X Collection, Mega Man Anniversary Collection) and now, the PSP will get a dose of the Mega love through a pair of titles scheduled to hit later this year.

The first, titled Maverick Hunter X, is a remake of the original Mega Man X. For those who don't know anything about it, the "X" series represents a more complex, more mature version of Mega Man. The titular hero looks a little older, for example, and the story elements aren't as kid-like as in the regular series. Beyond this, the "X" series featured upgradeable weapons, armor, boots and helmets; where as the original series only featured upgradeable weapons. Then there's enhanced control over your character through dash moves and mech vehicles. And finally, it had several hero-class characters, some of which you could control.

With Maverick Hunter X, Capcom has completely reworked the original title's visuals, music and sound effects. But the first thing you'll notice when booting the game is the slick introduction movie. And by slick, you should understand that it's almost ridiculously clear and vibrant. This sequence tells of a future when humans and robots live in harmony. Robots help with dangerous labor, chores and other tasks humans no longer want to do. All is well. At least until a shady figure named Sigma instigates a robotic rebellion. Since most of the aggressors are robots, the government assigns a crew of robotic "Maverick Hunters" to track down and eliminate hostile bots.

The game starts like the original, with an attack on Central Highway. You, as Mega Man, are dispatched to handle the situation. The visuals, now entirely polygonal, animate smoothly and retain much of charm of the original. Not all, mind you, since there's no real substitute for an awesome sprite, but it looks close enough to the original that old-time fans will take to it quickly. As for non-fans, they'll like it too. Both enemy and friendly units share nice animation, although at this point there's a little slowdown when things get too hectic. Fans will notice the effects of the "X Buster," Mega Man's favorite weapon, has been completely redone, as are explosion and weather effects. And they all look pretty cool.

With all this talk of revamped visuals and sound, certain fans may fear the worst&#Array;that Maverick Hunter X simply doesn't play as well as the original. They'd be wrong. It plays almost exactly like the SNES classic. Success still hinges on timing, reflexes and a thorough knowledge of level layout. And yes, the game still splits between eight themed worlds, each with their own end-level boss. After completing the first Central Highway stage, you're free to tackle any level at any time you want. But, of course, there's a certain path you should take if you want to do things the right way.